STAMFORD — In his six-year career in Major League Soccer, Kyle Martino took the pitch as a midfielder. This weekend, he will play three positions for his current team.

As a soccer analyst for NBC Sports Group, Martino will work in the announcing booth, deliver studio analysis and help anchor sideline coverage in a three-game series during the opening round of matches of the English Premier League’s 2017-18 season.

Most weekends, he can easily commute to work at NBC Sports’ headquarters in Stamford. Martino lives in Weston. One town over, he starred at Westport’s Staples High School, where he was named the 1998-99 Gatorade national boys soccer player of the year in his senior season.

In a recent interview with Hearst Connecticut Media, Martino discussed his goals for the new season and the challenges of the job.

Q: How would you describe the challenges of being a broadcaster compared with those of being a player?

Martino: The nerves of the (studio) red light going on are commensurate with the nerves and butterflies before you walk out to a huge stadium. The anticipation for the big moment is similar to my playing days, but, in in a weird way, much more nerve-wracking until you do it enough so you start to get the hang of it.

Now, it’s the nuance of making your words count. We, in the studio, have small windows to deliver analysis. You can’t waste air time trying to think about what you want to say or take too long to get around to your point.

Q: How would you describe the feedback you get from viewers?

Martino: There’s this wonderful interaction and discourse going on a lot of the time on social media with fans because they care about so much about it and watch so much soccer that they’re thirsty for discussion, information and knowledge. ...

You have to be bold and expose yourself a little bit because you really don’t have time to fully back up and protect an opinion. But that shouldn’t scare you away from making it.

Q: What makes the Premier League unique?

Martino: There’s not a Leicester City happening in any other league (Leicester overcame 5,000-1 odds to win the 2015-16 league title.)

It is one of the most competitive leagues in the world. And we may be biased, but we think it’s the most entertaining league in the world. Week in and week out, anybody can beat anybody. The intensity is unparalleled. Anytime you have a dozen of the best managers in the world, combined with a huge pool of some of the best players in the world, it’s a formula for something you can’t miss.